Elections

Armenia president, Vahagn Khachaturyan has re-appointed Nikol Pashinyan as Armenian prime minister, after the decisive victory of his Civil Contract party in parliamentary elections in June. During a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Yerevan, President Khachaturyan signed a decree on the appointment of Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister of the Republic. President Vahagn Khachaturyan said in short remarks: It is a great honor for me to sign a decree on appointing you to the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, for which I received a proposal from the political majority in the National Assembly, under Article 149 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia. I sincerely congratulate you, I wish you great patience, endurance, and determination to lead us in these difficult times, to lead the country to the future, a prosperous future. Nikol Pashinyan thanked the president and added,  I must say honestly that in 2018, when I assumed the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia as a result of the People's, non-violent, velvet revolution, it would have been difficult to predict that we would go down such a path and I think it would have been difficult to predict that we would be able to overcome this path. But we are where we are, and I think that the key role and significance in all this is unequivocally and undoubtedly the people of the Republic of Armenia, who, after all, have demonstrated special expressions of state consciousness and state-centeredness throughout this period. And of course, this is a great obligation and commitment. Of course, the Government will be formed in the near future and all members of the Government, including me, will already enshrine our obligations to our people in the text of the oath.  In the meantime Ruben Rubinyan has been elected Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, following a secret vote of MPs. He is a 36-year-old MP from the ruling Civil Contract party, who was one of the deputy speakers in the previous parliament and, until recently, was the special representative in the negotiations on the normalization of relations with Turkey.

The president of the European Commission, Ursual von der Leyen, on Thursday (2 July) made a short visit to the Armenian Capital, Yerevan, during which she met the Armenian leader, Nicol Pashinyan. This was Van der Leyen's second visit to Armenia in as many months. During the visit the President of the European Commission reiterated Europe's support for Pashinyan and his government, following the recent elections: On 7 June, the people of Armenia spoke clearly. They chose democracy. The rule of law. They chose reform and peace. They chose an open, welcoming, and inclusive society. And they chose to partner with the European Union. And together, we must now turn their aspirations into results. You can count on us.  Speaking ata joint press conference after her meeting, Van der Leyen said: "First of all, I want to congratulate you on your electoral victory. These elections have shown, once again, the strength of Armenia's democracy. The spirit of the Velvet Revolution which you led in 2018 is alive and well. Armenia is carrying on the path of democracy, reform, peace, and of a closer partnership with Europe. And I am here to tell you: you can count on us. While Armenia is coming closer to the EU, the South Caucasus is coming closer together. The initialling of the peace agreement last year was a history-making moment. The most consequential step this region has taken in decades. The same goes for the continued normalisation of relations with Türkiye. These decisions required political courage and leadership. And I know their rewards will be immense. Opening borders will transform Armenia's economic future. And it will anchor Armenia at the heart of one of the world's most strategic crossroads. We will stand by you to turn this vision into reality." (click image to read more)